Police investigate Ruby Rose sexual assault allegation against Katy Perry

Victoria Police detectives are investigating a reported historical sexual assault in Melbourne in 2010 after Ruby Rose accused Katy Perry of attacking her at a city nightclub, setting off a high-profile dispute that moved quickly from social media into a criminal inquiry. Police said the matter involved a licensed premises in Melbourne’s CBD and is being handled by the Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team, known as SOCIT.

Rose said the alleged incident happened at Spice Market nightclub when she was in her early 20s. She first raised the accusation in response to a post about Perry’s reaction to Justin Bieber’s Coachella performance, then described what she said happened in more detail. Rose alleged that Perry saw her “resting” on a friend’s lap, pulled her underwear aside and rubbed herself on Rose’s face until Rose vomited. Rose also said she had previously told the story publicly but later described it as a “funny little drunk story” because she did not know how else to process it.

Rose said she had finalized her reports and could no longer comment publicly because police had asked her not to discuss the case. The 40-year-old Melbourne-born actor also said Perry later helped her secure a U.S. visa, which she said had contributed to her silence.

Perry’s representatives denied the allegation, calling it “categorically false” and “dangerous, reckless lies.” No charges have been reported. The allegation has spread across tabloids and social media in part because the two women were publicly linked in August 2010, when Perry and Rose attended a Melbourne high school formal together, a detail that has revived scrutiny of their long-running public association.

The police response places the story in a legal framework that is different from the online circulation surrounding it. Victoria Police has said detectives are examining a historical complaint from 2010, not making public findings about guilt or innocence. That distinction matters as the allegation continues to circulate against a backdrop of celebrity amplification, where unverified claims can move faster than any formal process and where the burden of a criminal allegation, especially one reaching back 16 years, extends far beyond the people named.